Balblair is not making different whiskies, theirs are still the rich and fruity Highland whiskies, but it has introduced age statement to its labelling and changed its packaging.

When Inver House bought the distillery in 1996, Balblair’s whiskies were bottled by their vintages. For example, a Vintage 2004 bottled in 2014 is a whisky distilled in the year 2000 and the age of the whisky is the release year minus the vintage year, i.e. 10YO. The bottling series depends on its taste profile, which is determined by the master blender.

Over time, as the production increases, many batches of the same vintage were getting too many different releases and it became confusing. This all changed from April 2019 when Balblair released its core range of 12YO, 15YO, 18YO and 25 YO with 17YO specially bottled for travel retail.

With new labelling comes a new packaging. The Balblair bottle retains its unique and elegant oval shape. The Balblair logo is enlarged and printed on the label across the bottle. “Balblair” meaning “battlefield” in Pictish language where a symbolic stone was situated at the stronghold of the Pictish area. This stone inspires the Balblair symbol on the bottle and box.

The Balblair new range are all (except the 17YO) non-chill filtered at 46% ABV and natural coloured. The tasting notes are as such: